A two-seater training aircraft crashed in Maharashtra’s Baramati on Wednesday morning, triggering fresh concerns over aviation safety in the region just months after the fatal plane crash involving senior NCP leader and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.
Fortunately, the trainee pilot onboard the aircraft managed to eject safely before the crash, avoiding another major tragedy.
According to police officials, the aircraft belonged to Redbird Flight Training Organisation and reportedly made a hard landing near Gojubavi village in Baramati during a routine training session. Emergency teams and local authorities quickly rushed to the crash site after receiving information about the incident.
Pune Superintendent of Police Sandip Gill confirmed that the aircraft was involved in a training exercise when the accident occurred. Initial reports suggest the trainee pilot escaped safely, though officials are continuing to investigate the exact circumstances that led to the crash.
The incident has once again put the spotlight on aviation operations in Baramati, especially because it comes only a few months after the shocking Learjet 45 crash that claimed the life of Ajit Pawar. That tragedy had sent shockwaves across Maharashtra politics and sparked intense scrutiny over private aviation safety standards.
The Learjet crash took place on January 28 during a charter flight from Mumbai to Baramati. Flight tracking data at the time showed the aircraft taking off from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport before crashing near its destination. Investigations into the high-profile crash are still ongoing.
The latest accident has also revived political debate surrounding the Ajit Pawar crash probe. NCP-SP MLA Rohit Pawar had earlier criticised the pace of the investigation and questioned whether authorities were conducting a transparent inquiry. He alleged that influential individuals connected to the aviation sector were not being questioned properly.
Rohit Pawar had claimed there was “nothing concrete” in the investigation despite months passing since the deadly crash. He also demanded stronger accountability from officials and aviation authorities handling the case.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had previously written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking a time-bound and transparent investigation into the Ajit Pawar plane crash.
The fresh Baramati aircraft accident is now expected to intensify calls for stricter monitoring of flight training organisations, aircraft maintenance protocols, and aviation safety regulations. Authorities are likely to examine whether technical issues, pilot error, or operational failures contributed to the training aircraft crash.
Even though no fatalities were reported this time, the incident has raised alarm among residents and aviation observers, especially due to the growing frequency of aviation-related accidents linked to Baramati in recent months.
